Original subtitles

NARRATOR: It has the strength of a weightlifter.

The C-17 can take off at a maximum

of over half 1 pound million.

NARRATOR: It's as nimble as a gymnast.

Flying low to the ground, she can definitely dance.

NARRATOR: In two separate missions,

C-17 Globemaster IIIs will be pushed to their limits.

One ventures into an intense war training operation

over unforgiving terrain.

[inaudible] on.

Kick them out.

NARRATOR: And the other heads out

on a grueling three-day journey to deliver

heavy missile launchers.

They are missions that will put each crew member and these

$200 million jets to the test.

[music playing]

The C-17 Globemaster III is the most versatile cargo plane

in the US Air Force fleet.

It's a tireless workhorse engineered to carry

over 170,000 pounds of cargo.

That's the equivalent of eight Mack Trucks.

There are 221 of these giant fliers in the US Air Force,

spread out over 12 bases.

A few miles from Waikiki's beach near Honolulu, Hawaii,

sits Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

Headquartered here, the Pacific Air

Forces oversee and coordinate offensive and defensive air

operations for the vast Asia-Pacific region.

It's also home to eight C-17 Globemaster IIIs.

For Captain Nick Carr, flying the C-17 is a dream job.

Oh, man.

I love the aircraft.

It's an awesome handling aircraft.

It's amazing.

For such a huge airplane, it really does anything you want.

NARRATOR: As a C-17 pilot, Captain Carr

has airlifted troops out of Iraq

and delivered emergency supplies for victims

of the 2011 Japan tsunami.

Being a pilot is in his genes.

Since the time I was really young,

I've been flying with my grandpa.

And he taught me how to fly.

And I've always had that love of flying.

So to do it for a job really was my dream.

All right.

Track 28, welcome to the brief How's

everyone feeling tonight?

Today I'll be the aircraft commander.

NARRATOR: Captain Carr and his crew

have gathered to go over their upcoming mission.

Their orders are to pick up Patriot missile launchers

from a remote island in the Pacific

and deliver them to California.

So fuel will be 125,000 pounds on board.

The chronological order of events

will be, taking off from here at 11 Zulu,

landing in the morning at 1630.

And from 1630, we'll take that 10.5 hour

flight to Kwajalein Island.

NARRATOR: Normally, the C-17 needs only

two pilots and a loadmaster.

But the extreme distance of this mission

demands a six-man crew.

We got a 22-hour day today, so not

a lot of room for error here.

Intel tactics, we've already briefed all that up.

CRM topic, would you like to brief it?

Remember the basics, aviate, navigate,

communicate, and then safely move the jet,

safely move the mission.

And everything else is just icing on the cake.

NARRATOR: The first stop is Vandenberg Air Force Base

in California, where the C-17 will drop off a load of radar

equipment, then begins a 5,000-mile nonstop flight

to Kwajalein Island, part of the Marshall Islands

in the Northern Pacific.

Kwajalein island is tiny, with only one short runway

that's just over 1,600ft long.

The small runway ends at the ocean's edge, a risky landing

if they can't manage to stop in time.

You know, there is a risk with it.

But it's something that we're trained to do.

It's something that we're capable of doing.

And it's something that, you know, we actually want to do.

That's the great thing about this plane

here is, that this plane can take oversized cargo

to small runways, you know, places

that typical planes can't get into.

NARRATOR: In the heavyweight world of cargo planes,

the C-17 is a champ.

174ft from nose to tail, it's almost twice as long as a 747,

and has a wingspan that stretches just over 169ft.

Four fully reversible turbofan engines power this behemoth.

Each can produce more than 40,000 pounds of thrust.

It's 11 PM.

Time for Captain Carr and his crew to board the C-17

and head to California.

We depend on each other a lot in this aircraft.

Everyone has a very different specialty, the loadmasters and

the pilots, the maintainers.

We like to make sure that the communication lines are open.

And everyone's comfortable with what's going on because you

never know when someone can have an input that

might save a bad situation.

NARRATOR: In the cargo hold, the loadmasters crunch numbers

in anticipation of the massive payload

they will eventually take on, three Patriot

missile launchers, each weighing

approximately 6 and 1/2 tons.

The C-17 is designed to handle all types of heavy loads.

And it's highly adaptable.

The floor in the C-17's cargo area

is specially designed to be reconfigured

in a matter of minutes, thanks to a network

of rollers and rails.

And it operates pretty easily, just

by pulling it up like that.

And then the rollers themselves flip over very easily as well.

And this rail here provides the lateral and vertical restraint

for the cargo, and then the rollers,

obviously, if we're bringing the cargo

on it and off the aircraft.

NARRATOR: With just minutes to go before takeoff,

Captain Carr makes a final visual inspection.

Big picture, we want to make sure the airplane is clean.

There are no cracks.

All the panels are configured properly,

making sure the brakes are in proper condition

and, basically, just take a big overview of the jet

to see that there's nothing to the left, nothing to the right

that our wings might hit.

We got 169ft of wingspan.

NARRATOR: The flight crew gets the all clear from the

control tower.

Next stop, California.

Yeah, as maneuverable as she is

in the air, when you're on the ground,

you feel how big the jet is.

And taxiing is definitely something you got to take slow

and just, kind of, roll.

And everyone keep their eyes outside, make sure you're

being safe on the ground.

Thumbs up on the trucks.

And you're clear on the right.

You're ready for it?

You're clear on the left.

- Roger. - Still clear right.

All right.

We're good to take off.

NARRATOR: Safely off the ground,

the crew can now focus on the first leg of the journey.

Right here, I am doing our coastal checklist.

This is stuff that we typically do basically anytime

we're flying over the ocean.

So we're going to be flying for about five hours.

And we should be arriving in Vandenberg.

NARRATOR: In Vandenberg, they'll need to quickly

unload and then refuel.

The Star Trek 28 is gear down.

NARRATOR: The tight mission schedule

doesn't allow for any delays.

This quick turnaround means they have less than an hour

to complete the unloading.

LOADMASTER: The pallet weighs so much,

we had to put the struts down so that when

we're bringing it off the jet, the jet

doesn't tilt backwards.

NARRATOR: During the next leg of the journey,

Captain Carr and his team will log almost 5,000 miles

crossing the Pacific, pushing the C-17's

fuel envelope to the max.

This bird is what they call the extended range.

So we can go up to approximately 240,000 pounds.

And that's limited based on our cargo weight as well.

So--

PILOT: Starting engine number one.

NARRATOR: Before takeoff, the crew uses reverse thrust

to back up in order to get the C-17 in position

on the runway.

The payload door is opened.

So the loadmaster can see clearly when

guiding the pilot backwards.

LOADMASTER: All right.

Come on back.

Come on back.

NARRATOR: There are very few planes

this size that can back up on their own power.

LOADMASTER: Come on back.

NARRATOR: The pilots depend on a running commentary

provided by the loadmaster to keep the plane on track.

LOADMASTER: Come on back.

A little bit towards four, come on back.

We can't see out the back.

So we need that loadmaster back there to direct.

And he's talking the whole time.

And the agreement is that if he stops talking, that we're

going to stop immediately because we assume

that he may have fallen out.

We don't want to run over him.

LOADMASTER: Come on back.

NICK CARR: Every loadmaster will say, come on back.

LOADMASTER: Come on back.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Stop.

Track 28, heavy 1,300 at 1/1, cleared for takeoff.

Two, clear for takeoff.

Safety lock.

OK.

NARRATOR: The next leg of the mission

is off to a good start.

PILOT: Let it roll.

Then roll it.

NARRATOR: Now the crew can settle in for the rest

of this marathon mission that will

last for more than 24 hours.

2,200 miles away in the skies over Alaska,

another C-17 is about to fly into a challenging

combat training mission involving

over 75 paratroopers.

The C-17 crew from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam

is heading out over the Pacific Ocean on their long journey

to the Marshall Islands.

There, they will pick up a load of Patriot missile launchers

and deliver them to California, as they're

needed at another base.

[missile launch]

Patriot missile systems are designed to detect and shoot

down incoming enemy missiles.

Each launcher is about the size of a tractor trailer.

[missile launch]

Whether it's moving missile launchers

or delivering troops to a combat zone,

the C-17 Globemaster III was designed for war.

And to sharpen their combat skills,

many C-17 crews head North.

Alaska's rugged terrain provides an environment much

like what troops and flight crews would face

in war zones like Afghanistan.

It's well before sunrise at Joint Base

Elmendorf-Richardson near Anchorage.

And this C-17 is being prepped for a training exercise

that's anything but routine.

It's Arctic war day.

All right, everyone.

Welcome.

I've got 06:02 local in 45 seconds.

Welcome to our war day, everyone.

It should be a good mission.

NARRATOR: War day pulls together

all of the base's available resources

to create combat conditions.

For the C-17s, commit at 1811.

NARRATOR: And the C-17S are in the center of the action.

Good morning, everyone.

Lieutenant Chris Warren.

I'm going to be giving you your Intel brief today.

Bottom line, we have a couple of guys in country.

Currently, they've gotten some electronic intelligence

that we need to get out to prevent

a potential terrorist attack that could be imminent.

NARRATOR: Two C-17s will play a leading role in the operation.

Their mission is to drop paratroopers

over a remote mountain valley and rescue

two American operatives carrying vital information.

It's a highly coordinated exercise.

And just like a real combat situation,

nothing is left to chance.

BRIAN PHILLIPS: Cover a couple of mission objectives first.

81 will be myself, Major Phillips.

We have Captain Wendler with us as well.

NARRATOR: After the briefing, the C-17

crews go over their mission.

Major Brian Phillips will be at the controls

of one of the C-17s.

He's concerned about the wind conditions

at the drop zone called the DZ, where

the paratroopers will jump.

We could have winds gusting 20, 25 knots.

So we're going to need to get a good report from Major Dillon

up there on the DZ so we can make a call on the jumpers.

NARRATOR: As part of the mission,

each C-17 will drop approximately 75 paratroopers

who will secure the valley where

the aircraft need to land.

BRIAN PHILLIPS: They're going to be gusting

up through Annabelle Pass.

Pretty bad.

20, 25 knots, maybe.

NARRATOR: With an hour to go before the war

scenario begins, all the players get into position.

Jet fighters will play the role of the enemy,

while others will be protecting the C-17s.

Even an AWACS jet is deployed to provide airborne command

and help detect enemy aircraft.

BRIAN PHILLIPS: We have a real unique training

environment here in Alaska.

It allows us to basically practice

our wartime mission at home.

And it's a phenomenal capability that we have here.

It's really awesome.

NARRATOR: At the crack of dawn, the paratroopers make

their way across the tarmac.

Wearing their parachutes and carrying their 80 pounds kit

packs, just walking is a struggle.

Waddle, waddle.

NARRATOR: The paratroopers awkwardly make

their way up the back ramp.

SOLDIER: Stay on the grip.

Don't step on that metal.

Don't slip.

NARRATOR: And the morning dew on the steel ramp

doesn't help.

While the jumpers settle in, Major Phillips

and his co-pilot Captain John Wendler

examine the location coordinates

where the paratroopers will be deployed.

BRIAN PHILLIPS: This is an overlay of the drop zone.

And we use it to make sure our computer is navigating

correctly to the drop zone.

So it's guided there by GPS.

However, it's backed up visually

by myself and the co-pilot.

NARRATOR: The drop zone, known as the DZ,

is 220 miles North of the base.

That's where they've been instructed to rescue

the two stranded spies.

When I go down to debrief the jumpmaster and the Army,

we're going to go over all this information right here

so that they know they have a good idea

of what the DZ looks like.

And they know we know what it looks like as well.

BRIAN PHILLIPS: OK.

All right.

The profile 2 with the doors open

is going to be 1,000 feet AGL.

OK?

Right now the wind and altitude are 210 at 20 on the surface.

They're 180 at 3 gusting to 10 knots.

It gives you limelight time of 65 seconds over the DZ.

NARRATOR: With a C-17 flying in an altitude of just 1,000 feet

over the drop zone, the jumpmasters

will have only 65 seconds to get all the paratroopers out.

Any longer, and the plane runs out of time and risks

flying into the side of a mountain.

At 0900 hours, F-22 Raptors take

flight and war day begins.

Other fighters already in the air act as the enemy.

All flights [inaudible] cleared for takeoff departure.

NARRATOR: Ready for their combat

mission, Major Phillips and his crew are cleared for takeoff.

On the way to the drop zone, Major Phillips maintains

an altitude of 1,000 feet.

BRIAN PHILLIPS: We fly a low level

because the C-17 is large.

It's not a stealth aircraft at all.

So our tactics to avoid radar detection

is to fly low to the ground.

So when I say low level, I mean, it's a route

through the mountains at anywhere

from 300 to 1,000 feet above the ground.

NARRATOR: During the flight, everyone in the cockpit

keeps a sharp eye out for enemy fighters.

Meanwhile, the paratroopers below wait patiently.

And the loadmasters await instruction.

Pilot?

Yeah, what's up?

Time.

We got 10 minutes.

BRIAN PHILLIPS: We constantly need to inform the loadmasters

of what's going on.

That way, they can communicate to the troops in the back

to let them know where we are, how long till they jump.

[cheering]

Company zero, this is [inaudible] DZ.

You have clearance for drop.

NARRATOR: As major Phillips approaches the drop zone,

the jumpmasters get the paratroopers ready.

[shouting]

The loadmasters are in charge of opening and closing

the two side doors.

Zero doors are cleared to open, like A taxi.

Standing by in [inaudible].

NARRATOR: The air deflector to the right of the jump platform

prevents the jumpers from being pushed against the side

of the plane by the airstream.

Standby ready.

Ready, lights on.

13 seconds.

NARRATOR: Flying at this low altitude

makes for a bumpy ride.

Three-minute [inaudible].

NARRATOR: They're flying at just 1,000 feet

and are surrounded by some very unforgiving mountains.

It's up to major Phillips and his flight crew

to keep the jet level and get the troopers out fast.

Is that a good 30 minutes?

NARRATOR: It's Arctic war day in the sky over Alaska.

And the crew of a C-17 Globemaster III

is 30 seconds away from launching an urgent maneuver.

75 paratroopers are poised to jump out the side doors

as the C-17 rapidly approaches the drop

zone in a remote mountainous area northeast of Anchorage.

There you go

NARRATOR: The paratroopers' mission

is to secure a remote airstrip so the C-17

can land and pick them up along with the two stranded spies.

It's extremely noisy in the cargo area.

The loadmasters and jumpmasters are forced to communicate

using hand signals.

Cross tracks and yards for clearance to drop.

The biggest thing we're worried about when we have

jumpers going out the back of the airplane

is a towed parachutist.

That's when someone's parachute doesn't

leave the deployment bag.

So they're just hanging behind the airplane,

smacking up against the side.

I've only ever heard of it happening once.

The loadmaster was able to get the jumper back

inside in less than a minute.

And with other than a few cuts and bruises,

the jumper was fine.

NARRATOR: As the C-17 nears the drop zone,

Major Phillips concentrates on keeping the aircraft

as steady as possible.

BRIAN PHILLIPS: Well, it's really critical to be

stable at your drop altitude.

So when those guys are standing back there out in the door,

they're not getting rocked around.

And we know they're going to be at the right airspeed

required for the air drop.

Stand by, ready light.

A bit less than that, a little bit less flap.

50 seconds.

[inaudible] 080 down to DZ Windsor at 8/9--

NARRATOR: At 1,000 feet and a steady 150mph,

it's nearly go time.

When the light goes green, there's no turning back.

10 seconds, next step.

Here we go.

NARRATOR: Co-pilot Captain Wendler counts them down.

4, 3, 2, 1.

Green light.

Green light is on.

Kick them out.

BRIAN PHILLIPS: And anytime we have guys going out the back,

I'm always, always concerned with their safety.

It's not just cargo.

They're actually live human beings that are going out.

NARRATOR: The paratroopers jump from both sides doors.

They have only 65 seconds before the C-17

has to climb higher to avoid crashing into a mountain.

Paratroopers from both C-17s fill the air.

Their focus is landing as close to the unpaved runway

as possible.

Parachute landings aren't always smooth.

But luckily, everyone touches down without injury.

High over the waters of the Pacific, Captain Nick Carr

and his C-17 crew based out of Hawaii

are halfway through their marathon flight mission

to pick up Patriot missile launchers.

Cruising at an altitude of 35,000 feet,

the C-17 is heading to Kwajalein

island at 500 miles/hour.

For the crew, that's not fast enough.

Well, you know, we're a little bit fatter than

the conventional airliner.

So we'll be cruising along here at Mach 7, 4.

And normally we get airliners crossing

right over the top of us.

And we wish we could throw a rope on, hold on to them,

but unfortunately not.

So you know, we can do a lot, a lot of cool things.

But flying fast isn't one of them.

NARRATOR: The crew has already passed

through several time zones.

So to avoid confusion, everyone on the plane

synchronizes their watches to Greenwich Mean Time.

So right now, I've got my watch set to 311.

And you probably do too, right?

So in Greenwich, England, it's 311 right now.

And that's what we go off of so we don't have to do time

conversions everywhere we go.

NARRATOR: Once they reach Kwajalein island,

the crew will face a daunting challenge,

land the C-17 on a very short runway in the middle

of the Pacific Ocean.

C-17s were specifically designed

to be able to land on short and often unpaved runways.

The key to the C-17 short landings

is its propulsive lift system which directs engine exhaust

onto the large wing flaps.

This creates more lift, allowing for a steeper

descent and shorter landing.

But this design doesn't guarantee

a safe or easy landing.

PILOT: So that was just flying the scene for that one.

NARRATOR: In the skies over Alaska,

Arctic war day exercises continue.

With the paratroopers safely on the ground,

the static lines are pulled in.

The loadmasters secure the doors

as the aircraft climbs higher.

PILOT: At 9,500.

NARRATOR: They head further into the mountains

to hone their tracking and banking skills.

These are low-level steep turns within close range

of the high peaks.

BRIAN PHILLIPS: What we're going to get into

is the Alaska Range, which is part of what Mount McKinley.

We call it Denali here, locally.

Getting into that mountain turbulence now.

We're going over this range here, the Alaska Range.

I say it's 13,700.

JOHN WENDLER: When you're flying around

in a terrain like Alaska where you have very large peaks,

and you some really, really deep valleys,

you really have to be able to carve and turn

that big aircraft to keep from hitting a big wall of granite.

Charlie is still 919 Charlie.

Altitude?

I'm at 4000ft.

across the river at 4000ft

NARRATOR: For an aircraft that tips the scales

at just over 400,000 pounds, the C-17

is surprisingly nimble.

JOHN WENDLER: It's a very impressive aircraft.

I mean, you know, flying low to the ground

350 knots at 300 feet, you can still yank and bank

with the best of them.

So she can definitely dance.

Is that a good 20 minutes?

Yeah.

Yes.

We look good there.

BRIAN PHILLIPS: When you're talking mountain low levels,

you have to always anticipate the direction you're turning,

how far in advance you are going

to need to start that turn.

And that all depends upon your airspeed and your altitude.

And it really comes from training that you know

when to start those turns.

And that's why the terrain here is so beneficial.

NARRATOR: These low level training maneuvers

are geared to flying under enemy

radar in hostile war zones.

So you want to turn inside of all that stuff.

OK? - Oh, yeah.

I got it.

I got it.

10, 3, 13.

If you go up to 13,000, we'll be at the top of the world.

We're coming into [inaudible].

Just keep climbing.

Yeah, it's perfect.

Yeah.

Yep.

The biggest thing for us is when

we're trying to get that low level

training is the ability to be visual and see the ground.

So as long as we have the ability

to see those big hunks of granite around us,

then we feel comfortable getting down

and get some of that best training we can.

Unfortunately, we're a little bit further over the mountain.

I want to [inaudible].

NARRATOR: The sun has broken through the clouds

and is working to their advantage.

We actually prefer that sun at an angle.

That will create that shadow effect.

It helps us get a good visual depth perception as a pilot.

It's very pilot-friendly when you're flying

close to the ground like that.

NARRATOR: But the clear weather doesn't mean

they can let their guard down.

[alarm]

Proximity, proximity.

NARRATOR: The alarm gets everyone's

attention in the cockpit.

The other C-17 is just off their wingtip.

It's Arctic war day over the mountains of Alaska.

I never get tired of seeing Mount McKinley out there.

It's a beautiful scenery.

NARRATOR: Major Phillips and his crew

have dropped off 75 paratroopers.

An alarm suddenly gets everyone's attention.

[alarm]

Proximity proximity.

NARRATOR: The alarm warns the crew

that the other C-17 participating in war day

is nearby.

1 0 miles West, will contact Anchorage center.

NARRATOR: They're flying in very close formation

for aircraft this size.

Luckily, the good visibility allows the pilots

to eyeball each other.

JOHN WENDLER: If we're in viz, so we

can see the two aircraft, and we can see the ground,

we'll fly a lot closer.

Obviously, with a large aircraft like this,

our wake turbulence can affect the guys that are behind us.

So at the same time, you know, you've

got two large aircraft that are very close to the ground,

flying very, very fast.

NARRATOR: The second C-17 has dropped back

and is now flying right off Major Phillip's tail.

The trailing pilot is constantly making adjustments,

trying to avoid the turbulence created by the plane in front.

JOHN WENDLER: If you're directly behind our aircraft

in another aircraft, there are a lot of wingtip

vortices coming off.

There's a lot of turbulence.

So he is getting rocked around a little.

Bit some things he can do is he can stack slightly above us.

And that'll help get us out of our wash.

There's no drafting in airplanes.

You got to stay out of the way.

NARRATOR: In combat situations, the C-17

size makes it an easy target.

So it's designed with a distinctive defense mechanism.

[flares]

Magnesium flares radiating heat at 2,000 F

drive heat-seeking missiles away from the aircraft.

Most countries in the world, you

have access to that kind of threat for airplanes

to fly low and slow to the ground.

And so flares is a primary defense

mechanism to help protect our airplane

from infrared threats.

NARRATOR: The distinctive smoke trails

left behind by the flares are known as angel wings.

3,000 miles southwest across the Pacific,

another C-17 is on a marathon flight.

Its mission, to pick up a load of Patriot missile

launchers from the remote Marshall Islands.

NICK CARR: The big island about 100 miles off our right wing.

And I can't see 100 miles anyway.

NARRATOR: This six-man crew has been in flight

for 19 bone-aching hours.

Those not needed in the cockpit try to rest.

But the C-17 wasn't built for comfort.

MATTHEW KLINGENBERG Basically, you try to sleep when you can,

you know, the drill expression, you sleep till you're hungry

and then eat till you're tired.

But fortunately for us, you know,

this is part of the game.

This is, kind of, what we do.

So, really, what you have to do is, whether it's resting

when you can, kind of, sneaking in cat naps,

just being honest with each crew member as well.

You feeling?

Pretty tired.

I think I'm go grab West to jump in for the last 45 or so.

All right.

[inaudible]

Later.

The managing of the fatigue is a huge part

of what we have to do.

We switch out pilots in the seat.

Let other guys get rest in the bunk.

Try to get a workout in when you can,

try to get some food in when you can.

Just fess up if you're feeling tired and let your buddies

know so that they can step in for you.

NARRATOR: Back in Alaska, Major Phillips and his C-17

are heading toward a short, unpaved landing strip

to pick up paratroopers and two allied spies.

But the training exercise suddenly

turns dangerously real.

[beep]

Hey, Joebo.

NARRATOR: The flight crew has detected a serious problem

with one of the engines.

Yeah.

JOE BEAL: We noticed an abnormal indication

on one of our engines, the oil quantity is dropping.

Right now everything's safe.

We want to make sure that the airplane stays flying.

Throttle back right, throttle is back right now.

But as it goes up, the quantity is going down.

JOE BEAL: Yeah, right now we ran

all the emergency checklists to make sure that airplane

is still safe to fly.

Everything's good to go.

We train for the worst case scenario,

if we end up losing an engine for that particular reason.

NARRATOR: The crippled number one engine

is forcing the crew's hand.

Flying over the mountains is no time to take chances.

- What's going on? - OK.

Here we go.

We got oil quantity low message.

So we may have to shut down the engine as a precaution,

NARRATOR: Engine number one is losing

oil at an alarming rate.

Below, the loadmaster looks to see if he can spot the leak.

There are no obvious leaks.

But the risk is too great.

And the mission is scrubbed.

So we're headed home after that.

NARRATOR: The tower at home base

must now dispatch another cargo plane

to get the stranded paratroopers

back home while major Phillips eases his C-17 back to base.

We will train down to two engines.

I know at that point, it is not a fun place to be.

Three engines that runs really well is

designed for that redundancy.

Two engines, it will.

One engine, it will not.

So two engines is your bare minimum.

Our job is to get the jet back in as soon as possible.

So there are experts who take care of it.

To A1 heavy on [inaudible] final approach to runway 6.

I got that traffic off our nose on site [inaudible]..

NARRATOR: As he approaches the airport,

Major Phillips is immediately cleared to land.

[inaudible],, we're at visual landing.

122 is your target.

NARRATOR: He brings the jet down gently,

doing his best not to damage the crippled engine

any further.

BRIAN PHILLIPS: OK.

I guess we're going to shut them down here.

It's disappointing.

But I mean, things like that happen.

And you know, we can try again another day.

NARRATOR: For Major Phillips and his crew,

their mission is over.

But in the middle of the Pacific,

just a few miles from Kwajalein island,

Captain Carr and his crew are about to face

the biggest challenge of their long mission.

They're closing in on Kwajalein island in the Marshall Islands

for their final approach.

Oh, man.

- Are we there yet? - No.

[inaudible]

Yeah.

We've been at-- we've been going at it for about 20

hours now.

We alerted in Hawaii at 9:00 PM.

It's now 5:00 PM the day after, so a long day.

So we're looking forward to landing.

NARRATOR: With their mission barely half over,

the crew focuses on a safe landing

on a tiny, remote runway in the middle of the Pacific.

We need 3,500 feet of landing runway.

That's our minimum.

However, as far as stopping distance,

usually, we can stop this thing in less than 2,000 feet

if we need to.

So as we come in on downwind, I'm

thinking about airspeed, altitude,

and aircraft configuration.

Have an [inaudible] final.

You got winds from the right.

We leveled off at 1,500 feet.

And we got the runway in sight.

I got you 500 feet down, 1,000 feet.

All right.

I'm going to try to keep it right there.

We configured the flaps to one-half.

We got cleared to land.

And I'm just worried about getting on runway center line,

making sure we land within the first 1,500

feet of the runway.

On speed.

So we've got room to stop.

300 feet.

Bird left, no factor.

On final, we bring the flaps to 3/4, start to slow down.

And we got the gear down.

We're good to go.

100 feet.

50 feet.

50.

NARRATOR: Once the wheels touch down,

the powerful brakes take over.

The braking system on this thing is amazing.

You'll stop the plane in a very, very short distance.

NARRATOR: C-17s can go from 200 down

to 25 miles/hour in seconds.

All right.

NARRATOR: There are 12 brake assemblies,

one for each wheel, each weighing over 100 pounds.

All this gray matter right here,

it's a composite material that you just

don't get at your local auto parts store.

NARRATOR: With so much stress placed on the braking system,

every assembly gets a thorough visual inspection

before and after every flight.

Each one has a wear indicator that's easy to spot.

DAVID MOSER: And as the break wears more and more,

this rod will actually start to slide into the tab.

And once the tip of the rod and the top of the tab

meet, and they are flush, then we know it's to be a bad break

and needs to be changed.

I can tell by looking at the rod

is that the break has about another month's

worth of flying to do.

NARRATOR: The crew has been on the ground

for only a few minutes.

And despite their long journey, there's no time to rest.

One, two, three.

NARRATOR: The C-17 is working under a firm deadline.

Here we go.

NARRATOR: The army needs the missile launchers back

at Vandenberg Air Force base in California

by end of day tomorrow for redeployment.

As a load, your main responsibility

is to do the weight and balance of the cargo on the aircraft

as well as loading it and unloading.

NARRATOR: Inside these containers

are the components that make up Patriot missile launchers.

And each one weighs almost 13,000 pounds.

There are three of them coming aboard today.

And they need to be positioned according to the plane's

CG, or Center of Gravity.

Let's try to push this forward just a little bit.

GUNTHER LEGG: Bounce on the plane

is extremely important so that the plane can take off.

So if you have it-- if you have it wrong, a lot can go wrong.

LOADMASTER: If it was too nose-heavy, for example, when

the pilot pulls back to rotate the aircraft on takeoff,

it may not rotate.

And it may not take off.

Or if it's too tail-heavy, it may pull back,

and it may pull back too far, scrape the tail.

Or once you get off the ground, you could stall the aircraft

because you have too much weight

in the back of the aircraft.

You'd like to put the heaviest piece of cargo in the center,

right on where your center of balance is supposed to be,

and then, sort of, pyramid off, you

know, lighter as you go out so that you know, almost

without a shadow of doubt, that right there in the middle

is where your CG is.

NARRATOR: The pallets must line up perfectly

with the locking devices.

Barely.

Once the pallet comes in place, we line it up.

And these locks go into these slots in the pallet

and holds it in place.

This is where you initiate the locks

to hold the pallet into the position that you wanted.

Once they're solid, it indicates the locks

are locked into the system.

NARRATOR: A loose pallet could spell disaster.

The C-17 can pull 2Gs on a 60-degree bank.

So a 13,000 pallet suddenly doubles in weight.

LOADMASTER: The worst possible thing, probably,

if something wasn't restrained correctly,

and upon landing when they break pretty hard,

and if something were to fly forward, especially

when I'm sitting up front there,

that would be my worst fear.

NARRATOR: A long, tiring day comes to a close.

But it's a good way to end a 24-hour day, you know, fun.

NARRATOR: And the crew heads for a long

overdue night's rest. .

They'll need it before facing one more challenge

Captain Nick Carr and his C-17 flight crew

have just flown over 4,800 miles to Kwajalein

in the Marshall Islands to pick up Patriot missile launchers.

With a cargo on board, they head back to California.

Wind 0 9 0 at 1/8.

NARRATOR: It's another 10-hour flight.

Clear for takeoff, runway 6, safety

line, takeoff crew, rotate.

A little heavier today than yesterday.

That's right.

Gear up, gear up.

NARRATOR: They take off in daylight.

But it doesn't take long before day turns

to night and then day again.

They've now crossed the International Date Line for

the second time in one day.

NICK CARR: The night flights are brutal.

They get long.

And it feels like you should be sleeping

because it's nighttime.

And the sun comes up and, kind of, artificially wakes you up.

But when I get to that hotel room,

I'm probably going to be falling asleep.

Thanks, brother.

It's the best.

You're welcome, pilot champion.

NARRATOR: A curtain of heavy fog and rain

has moved in over the West Coast.

The landing at Vandenberg Air Force base

is hopefully the final challenge for the tired crew.

It's going to be less than [inaudible]..

Yeah.

Fog in California always expected coming into here.

And we're well trained on, you know,

flying instrument approaches with the avionics

that we have.

[inaudible] weather radar [inaudible]..

Going down there.

NARRATOR: The alternative is to land at another base.

But that's a delay Captain Carr and his crew

don't want to consider.

Talking about the arrival alternative, if we go miss,

we'll plan on taking it over to riverside

where they got clear weather.

NARRATOR: They decide to lower the aircraft to just 200 feet.

We'll get down there to about 200 feet

height above touchdown.

If we can see the approach lighting,

we're going to continue to 100 feet.

And then if we can't find the runway end lights there,

we're going to go around it, take it to another field.

Make it happen.

Sounds good.

All right.

NARRATOR: At 100 feet, the captain

will have only a couple of seconds to make his decision.

If he can't see the runway lights,

then he'll have to pull up fast.

We're about 35 minutes out.

It's pretty thick over there.

But the field is off to our direct left.

We'll see.

25.

NARRATOR: C-17 flight crews train for aborted landings

all the time.

But when you have a full load of cargo,

and you can't even see the runway,

it makes for a very tense cockpit.

On approach.

The runway is wet.

Wet runway?

The Weather Watch forecasted lightning.

Yes, the tower to confirm that the lights are on.

[inaudible] the runway.

Got him.

And we have the lights turned to it.

NARRATOR: Even though the C-17 is an extremely sophisticated

aircraft, it's up to the pilot to make

a final split second decision, land or pull up.

Landing gear is down, pilot.

And gears down.

Standby, final flap.

300.

All right.

I'm getting lights.

Lights.

Coming up on 100.

There's a runway.

[alarm]

NARRATOR: Finally, they see the tarmac.

Come back to right.

Gotcha.

There's 50 feet.

OK.

NARRATOR: Gently, the crew eases

the huge C-17 to the ground.

That was right, a minimum.

Yeah, it was [inaudible].

These guys did a great job in this approach.

Nothing better than the mark one eyeball.

That's-- that's the best thing we got going for us.

NARRATOR: With a safe touchdown,

the loadmasters and ground crew can now execute

the final task of the mission.

I felt you leave.

Here we go.

NARRATOR: And with that, the door

closes on a grueling three-day mission.

NICK CARR: On this mission, we had on-time takeoffs

every time, on-time landing.

All the cargo got delivered that needed to.

And we did the mission safely.

So I consider that pretty effective.

Good trip, guys.

That was good.

Way to finish strong.

Pat each other on the back.

Brother.

Brother.

Brother.

NARRATOR: In two separate missions,

the C-17 Globemaster III faced incredibly tough challenges,

both as a heavy cargo mover and as a deployer

of troops in combat.

JUSTIN MCCABE: You really do feel like you're

flying a much smaller jet.

It doesn't seem like it would be

as big as it is when you get out on the ground,

and you look at it.

I get to do some cool stuff.

And every time I fly, I take a second.

And I look around myself and realize that what I'm doing

is pretty, pretty awesome.

You know, every once in a while,

I am reminded of the power of the airplane.

And I'm reminded of how agile and how

nimble the airplane is.

I can't believe I'm getting paid to do this.

NARRATOR: The C-17 Globemaster III, a one of a kind aircraft

and a class all of its own.